SandyMaloneAlexandria, VA – The Crime Prevention Research Center released a list of 22 civilians who were able to prevent attacks over the past month because they were legally carrying guns.
Five of the instances occurred in Texas. Three happened in Michigan. Two each took place in Chicago, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Finally, Alabama, California, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Utah were home to only one incident each.
The organization that collected the data said they only included cases where a civilian, who was legally carrying a concealed handgun in public, stopped a criminal.
The civilian heroes who made the list included a minister, an Uber driver, and a police chief’s wife, demonstrating how many different kinds of citizens have decided to arm themselves.
It’s important to note that in most cases, the suspects were not shot. And only five suspected criminals were actually killed.
Ten of the incidences were robberies of businesses or individuals. Four occurred at gas stations. One was a bank robbery, and another was a car-jacking attempt.
One man in Highland Township, Mich. shot and killed one of two dogs who were mauling his seven-year-old daughter.
Several of the legal weapon carriers held their attackers at gunpoint until police arrived.
In one case, the would-be victim followed the man who robbed her business.
Marcia Rabideau, of Sterling Heights, Mich., said she could see the armed robber running away from the Arby’s he’d just robbed, where she was director of operations.
So she jumped into her Dodge Charger and chased him down, cornering him at a river bank.
She then pulled her Glock 9mm pistol, and held the robber at gunpoint until police showed up.
Rabideau, a police chief’s wife, agreed it was “stupid” to chase the robber, but said she didn’t want to let him get away with seven deposits, MLive reported.
Police generally advise citizens against chasing robbers, especially if the robber is armed.
Two additional incidents, not included in the initial 22 listed, involved off-duty police officers.
In one case that be came instantly famous, a Kansas police captain saved countless Costco shoppers when he took down a gunman in the warehouse store.
In the second case, two Utah teenagers attempted to rob a West Valley City police officer at his mailbox.
The one thing that all 24 examples of thwarted attacks have in common is the fact that if it were not for the presence and quick thinking of someone legally carrying a concealed firearm, there would likely have been considerable loss of life and property.
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